26 • A DAY IN THE LIFE...
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From Around
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» » OWNER AND OPERATOR OF
America’s Lock and Key, Efi
Amoyal, has been a locksmith
for over 10 years and has
successfully operated his
company, in Tampa, Florida,
serving all of Hillsborough
county. During that time, Efi says
he’s seen things he wishes could
unsee and learned a few things
about the human condition
along the way, something most
locksmiths can relate to. He tells
the Locksmith Journal about one
particular encounter…
“What I love about locksmithing
is that no matter who you are,
no matter what your station in
life – from a jet-setting CEO to
the single mom of two – you’ve
likely lost your keys at some point
and have called a locksmith for
help. As a locksmith, I’ve met so
many different people and have
encountered so many different
homes and ridiculous situations.
I’ve learned a lot from it.
“During dinner time one
night, I got a phone call from a
frequent customer of mine. He’s
a landlord who owns a bunch of
rental homes, and had one sitting
vacant for a while. He wanted
to know if I could go over and
change the locks on the front
door of the house. ‘No biggie’,
I told him that I’d be happy to
help. I’ve been a locksmith long
enough to know that this job
wouldn’t take long.
“As I approached the house,
it looked overgrown and untidy.
I thought that the landlord
would need to have the place
landscaped, or at least clear it
out, to get it ready for the next
tenant. I got the new lock and
my tools from the truck and got
ready to start.
“When I got through the door,
it hit me... a weird, strong odor.
It was strange and familiar at the
same time, a bit like food gone off
in the fridge. I fumbled for the light
switch, as it had turned to dusk
now. Just before my hand hit the
switch, I heard a rustling sound.
“I stood stunned when I got
the place illuminated. There were
stacks of newspapers everywhere.
It reminded me of a corn maze in
the fall. They were in stacks so
high that you could hardly make
your way around them. The walls
and ceiling had something on
them. It smelled a bit like melted
chocolate. It looked like there
was other sticky stuff as well, but I
couldn’t quite place it.
“As I walked through newspaper
land, I made my way to the back
of the house. I entered what once
was a living room. There, I spied
two people, bent and gray, sitting
in two arm chairs. It was obvious
that they were shocked to see
me, and stared at me with frozen
expressions on their faces.
“I surveyed the room. In one
corner there was a mountain of
cereal boxes. In the opposite
corner, a huge pile of discarded
food tins. There was a shelf in the
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room with over a hundred clocks
of all sizes. The people were
literally lost in the sea of stuff in
this room. The sight, the smell... it
was difficult to take it all in!
“I was a bit thrown off by all this.
I managed to shout from across
the room. ‘What are you people
doing here?’ I asked ‘This house
is supposed to be vacant.’ The old
man spoke slowly. ‘We live here...
have for twelve years.’ ‘What’s
your name?’ I inquired. ‘We’re the
McNeely’s, Josie and Garrett.’
“I excused myself, walking back
through the maze of papers, and
called my friend the landlord. I
needed a reality check at this
point. When I explained the
situation, he didn’t believe me, and
thought I was playing a prank on
him. When I mentioned the name
they had given me, the phone
went quiet.
“Then, he said in a shaky voice,
‘The McNeely’s? I thought that
they left the place 6 months ago. I
knew that they left it in a state, and
I’ve been putting off dealing with it
until now.’ ‘Well’, I said, ‘You’ve got
a bit more to deal with than you
figured. I’m leaving now. I’ll bring
you the keys and the bill in the
morning.’
“Two lessons learned that
night… Always keep your home
clean, you never know who might
pop in, and, hoarding is a serious
issue that requires mental health
specialists. Never assume that it’s
just a little quirk. Maybe even a
third lesson if you’re a landlord,
always double check on your
properties once someone claims
that they’ve left.”